January 31, 2000 saw The Demon character "returning" to WCW Monday Nitro, or rather debuting on it depending on the perspective. In a high contrast to the character's creation, this return/debut was an unannounced low key thing involving newcomers and D listers.
The suits in WCW were determined to destroy Bischoff's idea and bury the character. From viewers' perspective, it was all very confusing. When I had the Nitro on and suddenly saw the Kiss Sarcophagus on the hallway, I nearly had a heart attack and dove to find an empty VHS tape to quickly pop it and start recording. Seeing that sarcophagus backstage was a complete and unexpected shocker. First of all, of course, I couldn't see it coming. I haven't followed Thunder or Saturday Night shows so I didn't know a new Demon character had surfaced. Secondly, knowing that originally the character was suppose to be an A list main event star and the big hoopla that went into his creation, I would expect weeks if not months in advance of ads and trumpeting about his "return". Little did I know that the whole character had became a throwaway and was reduced to a sideline among D listers. And I soon quickly found out that the character was about to be mocked and ruined.
Soon after the sarcophagus was shown to be in the hallways behind the scenes, a comedic character 'Screamin Norman Smiley', who looks like George Jefferson and who's signature was a silly dance routine and screaming like a woman, finds it and the whole thing turns into straight up comedy when he decides to steal the costume and cape of The Demon.
The Demon then comes in and realizes somebody stole his stuff. All this was extremely confusing. I didn't know what's going on. First of all The Demon's reappearance was shockingly low key and involved Norman Smiley, a comic D lister, secondly, it was obvious in half a second there was someone else behind the makeup and that it wasn't anyone we, or at least I had seen before.
The Demon, with his Kiss underwear, then called the cops and showed them the empty sarcophagus describing that his stuff looked like Kiss and urges them to find it.
So to see The Demon in his first Nitro appearance being prodded by a comic character who steals his costume for giggles, and to see him played by a completely new guy who calls the cops on his stolen cape was hugely anticlimactic. Little did I know it was about to get worse.
Now, again, as I wrote in a different entry, Dale Torborg, the new guy behind the resurrected Demon character was actually a real life long hardcore Kiss fan who championed to be it from the beginning. He knew the character will be flushed down the drain by the new WCW suits but was such a fan he wanted to do it anyway and he did the best he could with what he was given/allowed to do. Of course at the time I didn't know it. All I knew was that some new guy was The Kiss Demon and that basically no one involved in the original event and birth of the character was involved anymore. And that it was now a throwaway feud with debutants, and a feud with a Sylvester and Tweety feel to it. It was as if you were watching a low budget, straight to video sequel to some big blockbuster, with new unknown cast and director.
Still tho, I had never felt animosity towards the new Demon. One would think from that perspective at the time I should have blamed the guy as well, plus he was a replacement, but for some reason I disliked the whole thing but didn't really target my disappointment towards Dale Torborg. Perhaps loyalty to the Kiss Army didn't allow me to criticize the fighter representing the band? Or perhaps I sensed genuine effort on Dale's part?
Another thing was that Dale Torborg is really such a nice and friendly guy. And while I still didn't know his name or how he looks like (and he also looks very friendly and benign) without the makeup, he is a nice guy and whenever he speaks as he did in this episode to the cops he just doesn't sound menacing at all, just the opposite no matter how he tries.
So Norman Smiley comes out in a Kiss gear and makeup (yeah...) to fight a guy named Shane Helms. He actually has the original belt on. The commentators chuckle and laugh.
once the fight has ended, The Demon comes out in his Kiss underwear (!!!) and in platform boots, with cops to chase him down.
The last thing we see of him is him chasing the screaming Norman Smiley into the crowd, and apparently losing him
It could have been worse, if you can imagine that. Few years ago, Dale revealed in a podcast that he tried to downplay the comedy as much as he could. He was given a mandate to appear in regular underwear and run around in it, the ultimate way to mock and destroy the character. But Dale went to the costume designer to make him Kiss themed shorts that looked like part of a costume and wore platform boots to look better. Apparently the WCW people were furious at him afterwards.
It was all terrible, and I fully agree with what Eric Bischoff said in a podcast in 2020 looking back at that period of time and the resurrection of the Demon character.
Eric Bischoff in 2020: "It was so f***ing stupid, I mean, The Demon character should have just been retired as soon as it became apparent that we weren't gonna do a long term deal with Gene Simmons of Kiss. That was the reason for The Demon character in the first place. We didn't necessarily have a Demon character and we'd tag in Gene Simmons. The Demon character was created specifically and solely because of the longer term strategy and plan that we had in place, or thought we're gonna have in place with Gene Simmons. Once that deal fell apart, once we were no longer going to be working directly with Gene and Kiss, to create this kind of Army of Kiss Demon-like characters, once that thing died, that character should have died. And it didn't. And it was just so bad. And then they have Norman Smiley (...) It made me laugh, but I'm not sure it was the kind of humor or the kind of levity that you want. I laughed I think because it was so ridiculous. I'm not sure ridiculous should be a part of formula. It was just stupid. "
Look, The Demon character, when we were negotiating with Gene Simmons and Kiss to, you know, launch it, the idea on paper, would have been a phenomenal idea, had Gene Simmons and Kiss been involved on ongoing bases as the original plan called for. But once that deal fell apart, to continue to use that character, just, ugh, it is what it is and it was what it was. (83 Weeks Podcast)
Dale Torborg: "When I started doing the character, actually performing as a character, Eric Bischoff was out. So the reason why it didn't go in the beginning is that they were trying to make it look bad to make Eric Bischoff look bad. That was the whole point of this. (...) they really did want to bury it
I had a chance to leave the character, and this is what the Kiss fans don't understand. I could have gone, I had an MVP character, was a bit (...) based on the movie The Warriors. I could have left the character, but I said, Im a Kiss fan, I wanna make this into something the best I can and not be a complete joke (...) it could have been a lot, a lot worse then what it was. "
I didn't want to make it look like a joke (...) it just was a dream come true for me. here I was an athlete, and a Kiss fan. Now I go into wrestling world and I get to be an athlete, and a Kiss fan, and play a Kiss character. I mean, like I said, I wouldn't trade it for the world
I don't blame them (Kiss fans) for any negative comments that went my way, I get it. That's a thing, I get it, you know. (3 Sides Of The Coin Podcast)
Also, beginning with this appearance, The Demon now has streaks of yellow in his hair, a look that he will remain with.
Dale Torborg:"In around '76, around Destroyer era, Paul Stanley did a blonde streak to his hair. And I always thought it's kinda cool, and it was a very short thing
I put the blonde in my hair because I wanted it to be, for the average fan, if you saw a picture of Gene Simmons, or you saw the picture of the WCW Demon, you didn't think they were synonymous. 'Oh, the guy with the blonde streaks, that's the wrestler', and so that's why we did it." (Major Wrestling Figure Podcast)
“I get so ripped on the Internet because of the character, and it really doesn’t matter. It’s neither here or there but what people don’t understand is, I had a chance to bail on the character really, really early in this whole thing. I had a choice not to take it, and I took it because I was a huge KISS fan. I could’ve bailed on it, just done what they said, finished the contract, and been pushed in another character just like they promised me that would happen, but I kept fighting for the character being a KISS fan.
I did not want to embarrass the character anymore than they were going to make it. They were going to make it look absolutely ridiculous. They were going to make this thing look horrible. I fought and fought — there was a time I got sent home for three months because I kept fighting for the character and [WCW] told me to shut hell up and go home.” (Podcast Rock City)
There was one idea in this episode which I thought was great. There was an implication that the sarcophagus is magical and transforms the person who enters it. Even Dale Torborg once said it was meant to be a chamber that transforms one into a brave warrior. Smiley gets picked on and chased in the hallway. When he finds the sarcophagus in the hallway, he comes in and yes, starts to steal Demon's clothes for giggles. But then the sarcophagus starts to close on its own trapping him inside while he's trying to get out
When we see it next, the lighting is different in the room, the mood is mythical and the sarcophagus opens to reveal Smiley decked in Demon's clothes, implying some sort of transformation. He then bravely faces all three of his attackers in the ring and wins
The whole idea however is diluted and lost when you have all the comedy around it, The Demon in underwear nagging cops to find his clothes and comedic character prodding him.
Next: Chapter 11: The Demon vs Norman Smiley - February 1st, 2000